Bus management system

• US 20050156759A1
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kenwood
• Inventors: Himoto, Taku, Aota, Shin
• Granted Patent: US 7,262,696 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/994
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

A pick-up/drop-off management system improves the efficiency of carrying small children on a pick-up bus to a primary school or other facility. A non-contact method is used to read ID information of bus passengers, and to generate information regarding boarded passengers. When a person comes to meet a passenger, ID information of the meeting person is also read by using a non-contact method. The system is used to keep track of what passengers have boarded, and to control the meeting of passengers by others, by matching ID information for passengers and meeting persons held in memory, which can be accessed from a bus or a meeting location.

Claims

1. A pick-up bus management system, comprising:

at a pick-up bus, means for reading ID information from an ID information storage medium associated with a specific person boarding at a boarding location, which is a current location of the bus;

means for mobile communication, which sends and receives data via wireless communication with a prescribed information management location;

at a prescribed information management location, a boarding location specific expected-passenger information generating means, which generates boarding location specific expected-passenger information;

boarding location specific boarded-passenger information generating means, which generates boarding location boarded-passenger information, based on ID information and boarding location information received from a bus;

expected-passenger identifying means, which identifies a not-yet-boarded passenger at the current boarding location, based on a comparison of the boarding location expected-passenger information and the boarding location specific boarded-passenger information;

expected-passenger information sending means, which sends to the bus expected-passenger information regarding an identified expected passenger; and

at the pick-up bus, an expected-passenger notification means, which makes notification of a not-yet-boarded passenger at a current point in time at the current boarding location, based on the expected-passenger information received from the information management location.

2. A pick-up bus management system as recited in claim 1, further comprising, at the information management location, means for updating the boarding location specific expected-passenger information, based on notification of absence from a specific person or a person related thereto.

3. A drop-off bus management system, comprising:

means for reading, which reads as boarded-passenger information an ID information of ID information storage medium of the first specific person when a first specific person boards a drop-off bus at an origin location, and also reads as meeting person information ID information of an ID information storage means of a second person at a de-boarding location, which is a destination of the first specific person;

a boarded-passenger list information generating means, which generates boarded-passenger list information, based on boarded-passenger information;

a discriminating means, which makes a first and a second judgment in cases, respectively, in which, based on the meeting person information and boarded passenger information, the first specific person corresponding to the second specific person has and has not boarded the drop-off bus; and

a handover-completed information generating means, which generates handover-completed information associated the first specific person, which indicates that the first specific person has been handed over to a corresponding second specific person.

4. A drop-off bus management system as recited in claim 3, further comprising means for notification, which notifies of information regarding making the second judgment.

5. A drop-off bus management system as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the information management location exists as a prescribed location;

the drop-off bus comprises a mobile communication apparatus for transmitting and receiving data with the information management location;

the reading means and the notifying means are disposed at the drop-off bus;

the handover-completed information generating means is disposed at the information management location;

the boarded-passenger list information generating means and discriminating means are disposed at either the drop-off bus or the information management location; and

wherein

when a means as a sender of information serving as a basis for processing is located not at one of the drop-off bus and information management location at which the means are disposed, but at the other, the means receives information from the other by wireless communication by the mobile communication apparatus.

6. A pick-up/drop-off management system, comprising:

a reading means, which reads, from an ID information storage media of a first and a second specific person, de-boarding passenger information and meeting person information;

a de-boarding passenger list information generating means, which generates de-boarding passenger list information, based on de-boarding passenger information;

a discriminating means, which makes a first and a second judgment, respectively, in a case in which, based on the meeting person information and the de-boarded passenger information, a first specific person corresponding to a second specific person is and is not at a meeting location; and

a handover-completed information generating means, which generates handover-completed information associated with the first specific person indicating that the first specific person was handed over to the corresponding second specific person.

7. A pick-up/drop-off management system as recited in claim 6, further comprising means for notification, which notifies of information regarding making of the second judgment.

8. A pick-up/drop-off management system as recited in claim 7, wherein:

the information management location exists as a prescribed location separate from the meeting location;

the meeting location has a mobile communication apparatus for transmitting and receiving data with the information management location;

the reading means and the notifying means are disposed at the meeting location;

the handover-completed information generating means is disposed at the information management location;

the boarded-passenger list information generating means and discriminating means are disposed at either the meeting location or the information management location; and

wherein

when a means as a sender of information serving as a basis for processing is located not at one of the meeting location and information management location at which the means are disposed, but at the other, the means receives information from the other by wireless communication by the mobile communication apparatus.

9. A method for managing a pick-up bus, comprising:

at a bus, a step of reading, from an ID information storage medium, ID information related to a specific passenger who boards the bus at a boarding point of the pick-up bus, which is the current location of a pick-up bus;

a step of sending the read ID information by mobile wireless communication;

at a prescribed information management location, a step of generating expected-passenger information separately for each boarding location;

a step of generating, as specific person information for a persons who have boarded, already-boarded specific person information for each boarding location;

based on ID information and boarding location information received from the pick-up bus;

a step of identifying a specific person who has not yet boarded at the current location, based on a comparison of the boarding location specific expected-passenger information for each boarding location and the already-boarded specific person information for each boarding location;

a step of sending to the pick-up bus information regarding a specific person identified as having not yet boarded; and

at the pick-up bus, a step of giving notification of a person who has not yet boarded at the current location, based on the information regarding a specific person who has not boarded received from the information management location.

10. A method for managing a pick-up bus as recited in claim 9, further comprising at the information management location a step of updating the boarding location specific expected-passenger information, based on notice of absence from the specific person or a person related thereto.

11. A method for managing a drop-off bus, comprising:

a step of reading, as boarded-passenger information, ID information of an ID information storage medium of a first specific person when the first specific person boards a drop-off bus at an origin point, and of reading, as meeting person information, ID information of an ID information storage medium of a second specific person at a de-boarding location, which is a destination of the first specific person;

a step of generating boarded passenger list information of persons who have boarded;

a step of discriminating, whereby a first and a second judgment are made in respective cases in which, based on the meeting person information and boarding passenger information, the first specific person corresponding to the second specific person is and is not riding on the drop-off bus; and

a step of generating handover-completed information associated with the first specific person, which indicates that the first specific person has been handed over to the corresponding second specific person.

12. A method for managing a drop-off bus as recited in claim 11, further comprising a step of, when the second judgment is made, making notification of information regarding the making of the second judgment.

13. A method for managing a drop-off bus as recited in claim 12, wherein:

the information management location exists as a prescribed location,

the reading step and the notifying step are executed at the drop-off bus,

the handover-completed information generating step is executed at the information management location,

the boarded-passenger list information generating step and discriminating step are executed at either the drop-off bus or the information management location, and wherein

when a step of sending information serving as a basis for processing is located not at one of the drop-off bus and information management location at which the step is executed, but at the other, reception of done via a wireless apparatus by wireless communication by a mobile communication apparatus on the drop-off bus.

14. A method for managing pick-up/drop-off, comprising:

a step of reading, at a prescribed meeting location, from a portable ID information storage media of a first and a second specific person, ID information of the first specific person, who will de-board a bus, and ID information of the second specific person, who will meet the first specific person;

a step of generating de-boarding passenger list information regarding passengers who de-board, based on de-boarded passenger information;

a step of discriminating, whereby a first and a second judgment are made in respective cases in which, based on meeting person information and de-boarding passenger information, the first specific person corresponding to the second specific person is and is not present at the meeting location; and

a step of generating handover-completed information associated with the first specific person indicating that the first specific person has been handed over to the corresponding second specific person.

15. A method for managing pick-up/drop-off as recited in claim 14, further comprising a step of, when the second judgment is made, making notification of information regarding the making of the second judgment.

16. A method for managing pick-up/drop-off as recited in claim 15, wherein:

the information management location exists as a prescribed location separate from the meeting location;

the reading step and the notifying step are executed at the meeting location;

the handover-completed information generating step is executed at the information management location;

the boarded-passenger list information generating step and discriminating step are executed at either the meeting location or the information management location; and

wherein

when a step of sending information serving as a basis for processing is located not at one of the meeting location and information management location at which the step is executed, but at the other, reception of done via a wireless apparatus by wireless communication by a mobile communication apparatus at the meeting location.

17. A pick-up bus management system, comprising:

at a pick-up bus, an ID information reader for reading ID information from an ID information storage medium associated with a specific person boarding at a boarding location, which is a current location of a bus;

a mobile communication apparatus, which sends and receives data via wireless communication with a prescribed information management location;

at a prescribed information management location, a boarding location specific expected-passenger information generator, which generates boarding location specific expected-passenger information;

boarding location specific boarded-passenger information generator, which generates boarding location boarded-passenger information, based on ID information and boarding location information received from the bus;

expected-passenger identifier, which identifies a not-yet-boarded passenger at the current boarding location, based on a comparison of the boarding location expected-passenger information and the boarding location specific boarded-passenger information;

expected-passenger information sending apparatus, which sends to the bus expected-passenger information regarding an identified expected passenger; and

at the pick-up bus, an expected-passenger notifying apparatus, which makes notification of a not-yet-boarded passenger at the current point in time at a current boarding location, based on the expected-passenger information received from the information management location.

18. A pick-up bus management system as recited in claim 17, further comprising, at the information management location, an updating apparatus, which updates the boarding location specific expected-passenger information, based on notification of absence from a specific person or a person related thereto.

19. A drop-off bus management system, comprising:

a reader, which reads as boarded-passenger information ID information of an ID information storage medium of a first specific person when the first specific person boards a drop-off bus at an origin location, and also reads as meeting person information ID information of the ID information storage means of a second person at a de-boarding location, which is a destination of the first specific person;

a boarded-passenger list information generator, which generates boarded-passenger list information, based on boarded-passenger information;

a discriminator, which makes a first and a second judgment in cases, respectively, in which, based on the meeting person information and boarded passenger information, the first specific person corresponding to the second specific person has and has not boarded the drop-off bus; and

a handover-completed information generator, which generates handover-completed information associated the first specific person, which indicates that the first specific person has been handed over to a corresponding second specific person.

20. A drop-off bus management system as recited in claim 19, further comprising a notifying apparatus, which notifies of information regarding the making of the second judgment.

21. A drop-off bus management system as recited in claim 20, wherein:

the information management location exists as a prescribed location;

the drop-off bus comprises a mobile communication apparatus for transmitting and receiving data with the information management location;

the reader and the notifying apparatus are disposed at the drop-off bus;

the handover-completed information generator is disposed at the information management location;

the boarded-passenger list information generator and discriminator are disposed at either the drop-off bus or the information management location; and

wherein

when a sending apparatus that sends of information serving as a basis for processing is located not at one of the drop-off bus and information management location at which the apparatus are disposed, but at the other, the apparatus receives information from the other by wireless communication by the mobile communication apparatus.

22. A pick-up/drop-off management system, comprising:

a reader, which reads, from an ID information storage media of a first and a second specific person, de-boarding passenger information and meeting person information;

a de-boarding passenger list information generator, which generates de-boarding passenger list information, based on de-boarding passenger information;

a discriminator, which makes a first and a second judgment, respectively, in a case in which, based on the meeting information and the de-boarded passenger information, the first specific person corresponding to the second specific person is and is not at the meeting location; and

a handover-completed information generator, which generates handover-completed information associated with the first specific person indicating that the first specific person was handed over to the corresponding second specific person.

23. A pick-up/drop-off management system as recited in claim 22, further comprising a notifying apparatus, which notifies of information regarding the making of the second judgment.

24. A pick-up/drop-off management system as recited in claim 23, wherein:

the information management location exists as a prescribed location separate from the meeting location;

the meeting location has a mobile communication apparatus for transmitting and receiving data with the information management location;

the reader and the notifying are disposed at the meeting location;

the handover-completed information generator is disposed at the information management location;

the boarded-passenger list information generator and discriminator are disposed at either the meeting location or the information management location; and

wherein

when an apparatus that sends information serving as a basis for processing is located not at one of the meeting location and information management location at which the apparatus is disposed, but at the other, the apparatus receives information from the other by wireless communication by the mobile communication apparatus.